Why Does All Music Sound the Same; An Explanation

I don't go to live music in small venues anymore, seems people just want it loud, distortion be damned. I saw Tedeschi Trucks band at U of Missouri a few years ago. Large Music dept btw. The opening act was good, excellent sound. The T Trucks band was loud and at least 50% distortion. I walked out but seemed like I was the only one who cared. I lived in LA for a few years and it was better but not great. I went to scores of rock concerts when I was young, scores of years ago and never heard bad sound like this. I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd on their first tour and they were underpowered but not distorted. They opened for ZZTop who weren't.

Interesting subject.

As someone who has moved from an analogue realm to a digital one in my work, I can see how the "highly measurable" numbers game has become of "importance".  Remember the show "Max Headroom"?

When I had to make the switch from film to digital, I was all concerned about the "numbers". Then there was a job that came along that caused me to through all the math out the window and trust my eyes - as I had been doing for decades prior.

Lowest common denominator = biggest market

I can remember being at the TSO watching a performance of Beethoven's 9th. I found it to be lacking in impact - dynamics. This until, Ode to Joy happened. And I realized the conductor had left something in the bag. Realizing the limitations of the hall, and the size of the choir, he left room for the moment of "impact". Granted the only reference I had to this was the Karajan two symphony, double choir recording. No shortage of range there should you want it.

I also remember seeing a documentary on a painter who always mixed white into every color. So, if he needed more red, he has it. Bore blue... You get it.

The secret I think is to not put white in everything and forget that there is still more color to be had.

Depeche Mode has always felt like that for me. All of it running at the same intensity. Mr Bungle on the other hand - not the case.

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I confess I never really managed to work up much aggression about the loudness war. Frankly sometimes it can be a bit of a pain when you are listening to classical and have to keep dicking about with the volume to be able to listen to the quiet bits then not get your head blown off 4 bars later. So, at least for me, more dynamic range is not necessarily more better.
Also we tend to forget that popular music has always been cookie cutter stuff. In the UK the legenday production team Stock, Aitkin and Waterman just hashed out much the same stuff for an endless stream of young look-a-likes and regularly hit the top of the charts in the 80s. 20, 30, 40 years on we just remember the stuff that was good enough to last, whereas in the present we hear all the only-of-the-moment crud as well.  On a slightly seperate note I am reminded of the old pub game of getting people to hum the theme songs of Superman, Star Wars and Indian Jones back to back and watch them struggle because actually they are very, very similar.

I think the theme from Star Wars was lifted largely from Dvorak's New World Symphony.

I don't think the point of this discussion is to say that all compression is bad. When it is used as a tool to improve a recording I don't think anyone objects.

But, let me repeat something I've been saying over and over again. This is not just an issue with pop throwaway music. The loudness wars have penetrated into music and artists who are and should be appreciated by audiophiles. In my naivety I find that shocking that such artists would allow that to happen to their work. The point being, as audiophiles we can't just look down our noses and assume this is only a problem for the Big Mac eaters and Yugo drivers. It is affecting our foie gras and BMWs too.

The long term use of hypercompression in the mastering studio has finally killed pop music. Not only does it suck out all the dynamic range out of the music, in so doing it scrubs all emotional content as well.

Hahaha, there is no bottom in terms of what the listeners will accept for pop music. It will never die from mere mistreatment.